Death… and promises

by beanalreasa

I was in the car the other day, listening to music on an alternative rock station.

Then, the station cut to a little promotional blurb wherein Ben Gibbard, guitarist and vocalist for Death Cab for Cutie, gave the station ID for the top of the hour. These blurbs are often created to do the double duty of promoting the station and the band, as well as to make a convenient segue into the next song, which I presumed meant that it should be a Death Cab for Cutie song.

But I was feeling rather depressed, and since I have never been a fan of that band specifically due to the fact that their sound strikes me as rather depressing, I was poised to change the station.

But then this song came on:

I’d never heard this song before, but I was immediately delighted with it.

It didn’t sound to me like your typical Death Cab for Cutie song, and in that, I was pleasantly surprised.

Hm.

Not only was this a sweet moment of pandoramancy – since I had recently been feeling morbid over the recent news concerning the impending death of a beloved relative – it was perhaps a subtle reminder to keep an open mind and an open heart.

I’ve never heard of the band before, nor have I ever listened to this song. It has a sort of folksy, at the same time grim and upbeat approach to a topic that is just as simple as it is complex. The song is both light and profound. Genius.

Regarding the impending death of your friend, I am sorry for the loss you and people close to you are facing. I think it’s appropriate that you linked back to the post you did – but as I somewhat vaguely pointed out in my comment to that post, your seeing your own unwillingness to face an impending change for what it is gives you a leg forward. It also should show you that there is a part of you that has already started to accept the impending change … I think that is a good part to build from. Another thing that might be good to build from is to take some time to be thankful of the time you and your friend shared. Saying ‘thank you’ to someone who is facing death is often a good thing to do. The times we tend to think are ours to share in the future are not ours until we’ve passed through them, thus they are not ours to lose – the times we’ve already passed through together remain ours, and cannot be lost.

I wish you, your friend, and the loved ones you and your friend share, strength.

Thank for your note, Stormwise.
As I said in the entry, I am not generally a fan of this band – as I have always thought that their music had a plodding sort of melancholy vibe to it – but my realization that this is one of their songs has caused me to re-think that stance, and I have been listening to more of their work as a result. I like this song specifically for the gently witty almost hopeful approach that the lyrics take towards a rather melancholy topic (which I assume is the death of a beloved person known to the narrator). I call it ‘pandoramancy’ because that’s exactly the sort of mindset that I need to hold onto in regards to the impending death of my beloved uncle.